Game prize with interlocking door entrance means and token dispenser



June 23, 1970 w. E. PERRINE 3,515,553

GAME PRIZE WITH INTERLQCKING DOOR ENTRANCE MEANS AND TOKEN DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 9, 1968 INVENTOR M1. TE? 15 PEER/NE. {3% g M ATZWRNEK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEATOR [MAL TE}? E'PE/PR/NE.

BY w J9 Arrwwvzx PERRINE GAME PRIZE WITH INTERLOCKINGDOOR ENTRANCE MEANS AND TOKEN DISPENSER United States Patent 3,516,663 GAME PRIZE WITH INTERLOCKING DOOR EN- TRANCE MEANS AND TOKEN DISPENSER Walter E. Perrine, 3001 N. 55th Drive, Phoenix, Ariz. 85031 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 582,916, Sept. 29, 1966. This application Aug. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 751,543

Int. Cl. A63b 69/00; E06b 7/00; Ef 7/00 US. Cl. 273-1 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A playing area is salted with prize tokens. A gate controls the sequence in which contestants may obtain their prize and leave the playing area and comprises two interlocking doors through which individuals sequentially enter and exit from, so that only one door can be opened at a time. A token dispenser is provided to dispense dif ferent time slips. The prize tokens consist of two separable hemispheres with a prize slip inside.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior filed application Ser. No. 582,916, filed Sept. 29, 1966, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) This invention pertains to improvements in the method and apparatus for conducting a competitive game and is particularly directed to procedures in the searching for prizes in a gold-rush event.

(2) Heretofore, in the playing of gold-rush game difiiculty has been experienced in the equitable and continuous distribution of prizes to the contestants, particularly in a free flowing movement of the contestants through the goldrush game array.

Further, considerable difliculties have been encountered as to controlling the exact time the prize nuggets are discovered for each contestant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simulated gold field in which has been placed simulated gold nuggets which may be hunted in the field and taken to an assay office where they are assayed for value.

Another object is to provide plastic simulated gold nuggets made in two parts which may be opened after finding and presentation to the assay ofiice and matched with the number contained therein with an identical number on a list of prizes thereby identifying the prize won by the successful competitor.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a simulated mine tunnel in which only one person at a time any enter and leave the tunnel so as to allow the distribution of prizes to be controlled as to the exact time they are discovered.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of atypical gold field area utilized in the procedure of the game.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a plastic simulated gold nugget with prize number slip therein.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the tunnel interlocking door control system.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic partial sectional view on line 66 of FIG. 3 showing nugget dispensing control system.

Patented June 23, 1970 "ice As an example of one embodiment of this invention, there is shown in FIG. 1 a simulated gold field having a boundary 10 at some suitable land location having an assay office 11, an entertainment area 12. Simulated gold nuggets 13, FIG. 2, which may take the form of disconnectable hollow hemispheres 14 and 15 are arranged to receive numbered prize slips 16. The simulated gold nuggets 13 are salted at selected locations such as a simulated gold mine tunnel 17 shown in FIG. 3 in the simulated gold field 10.

The method of play is as follows:

1 (A) The simulated and salted gold field 10 is estabished.

(B) The players purchase suitable The Great Arizona Gold-Rush Celebration tickets or their properly designated proxies, wishing to compete in the gold-rush event, and are provided with clue sheets which, when properly interpreted, will lead them to gold deposits 17.

(C) Individuals who are successful in interpretation of the clues and who get there first will find simulated gold nuggets 13.

(D) The gold nuggets 13 are taken to the assay office 11 where they are assayed for value.

(E) Assay office 11 opens nugget 1415 and matches the number slip 16 contained therein with identical number on a list of prizes, thereby identifying the prize won by the successful competitor.

The gold field layouts 10, locations of gold deposits 17 and clue sheets will be originated for each celebration. The holder of a single validated ticket may win as many prizes as he can find. Gold-rush prizes will be awarded to the winners, as determined, on the day of the goldrush.

In order that only one person at a time may enter and leave a simulated mine tunnel and to allow the distribution of the gold nugget prizes to be controlled as to the exact time they are discovered, there is provided the apparatus particularly shonw in FIG. 3.

A contestant enters the first door 18 and crawls into the simulated mine tunnel 17, closing the door 18 behind him. Opening the second door 19 prevents anyone from entering by the locking of the first door 18 and allows the man to go through the second door 19. When the second door 19 closes a second person can enter to thus provide a controlled flow of contestants through the simulated mine tunnel.

To this end, when the first door 18 opens, a locking bar 20 moves to the left, FIG. 3, with the opening movement of the door 18 allowing a compression spring 21 engaging surface 22 of cam 23 to push it down and lift locking bar 24 pivotally connected to the cam arm 25 by a pin 26 and pivotally mounted to rock on the pin 27. This action locks door 19 when the outer angular end 28 of the locking bar raises and moves to position 28a.

When the first door 18 closes, returning locking bar 20 to the right, FIG. 3, cam 23 is engaged by the edge 29 lifting cam arm 25 up unlocking door 19. When the second door 19 opens the cam 30 moves away from locking bar 20 allowing the compression spring 31 to push the locking bar 20 up so that the pin 32 fixed in the walls of the tunnel 17 enters the slot 33 formed in a downwardly projecting extension of the bar 20 so that the first door 18 cannot be opened until the second door is closed, whereby cam 30 again pushes down locking bar 20 allowing free motion of the locking bar slot 34 over the pin 32 so that the first door 18 can be opened.

After going through the second door 19, contestant will find a nugget such as shown in FIG. 2 in a dispensing machine, whereby when he takes a nugget it will be stamped with the exact time. The machine will be con- 3 trolled so that only one nugget per person will be dispensed. Using an electric circuit and electromagnet, each time the second door 19 is opened and closed, one nugget 13 Will be available. The second door 19 cannot be reopened from the opposite side and a contestant must move so as to allow the next contestant entry.

Referring to FIG. 6, a limit switch 34a operated by the door 19 is connected through a time clock 35 by suitable leads 36 and to a nugget dispenser 37 by leads 38. Nuggets 13 are held in a loading tube 39 so that when the second door 19 opens, limit switch 34a is actuated to energize the electromagnet 40 to momentarily release stop pin 41 to allow one nugget 13 to drop to a position 42. The contestant takes a nugget 13 at position 42 tripping trigger 43 which is connected to time clock 35 by leads 44. The time clock then stamps the exact time the nugget was found. The contestant then takes the nugget 13 and leaves the tunnel with the operation thus completed.

I claim:

1. A device for conducting a competitive game simulating a gold-rush nugget finding hunt comprising in combination:

(A) a simulated mine tunnel for the contestants including,

(B) a first door,

(C) a locking 'bar connected to and actuated by the movement of the first door,

(D) a second door,

(E) means associated with the locking bar operable by the opening of the first door to lock the second door in closed position,

4 (F) the means associated with the locking bar being further operable to release the second door for opening and closing when the first door is returned to closed position, (G) still further means in the locking bar to prevent 5 opening of the first door until the second door is closed, (H) a simulated gold field land area, (I) an assay ofiice adjacent to the gold field area, 10 (J) and a series of simulated gold nuggets salted at selected locations in simulated mine tunnels in the gold field area.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the simulated gold nuggets comprises a pair of detachable hollow hemispheres containing in their hollow portions when assembled a numbered prize slip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner P. E. SHAPIRO, Assistant Examiner v US. c1. X.R. 

